ME: Hey, kids? Um…why are these shoes filled with toy boats and rubber duckies?
ABIGAIL: We thought that might help them float.
OWEN: [Nods.]
ME: Ah.

So the question is, do I file that under “physics experiment” or “monty python knockoff experiment” (because a duck floats, and if she weighs the same as a duck…)?

It’s the end of February—how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Did you make any?

I don’t think it’s too late for this one (mine is toward the bottom of that list), but I haven’t yet made any headway. My planter boxes are full of dirt and weeds and probably evidence of the neighbor’s cat. And that’s all. But it’s not quite spring—there’s still time!

We did finally pull yams out of our garden recently. Any idea why they’re so long and thin? Why not more chunky? Anyone?

Sadie brought home a cold from church yesterday (yay!), so we’ve been enjoying a runny-nose-and-coughing day today. Last night she kept waking herself up to cough, and she’s too stuffed up to nurse, and it’s all just terribly pitiful. Today whenever her nose would get too runny, she’d glare at me and yell. Because obviously this whole illness thing is my fault.

On the minus side: she took two very short naps, instead of one rather longish nap. On the plus side: she went to bed sort of early and is still asleep an hour and a half later. I guess I’ll take what I can get.

And now all that’s left for the day is to wonder whether ice cream alone makes a suitable dinner for myself. I’m leaning toward yeah, sure. The kids are in bed. They’ll never know…

I am not a huge fan of cleaning. I like when my house is clean, but I have no interest in actually doing the cleaning. I am, however, an organizer. Baskets, bins, shelves, cabinets—all these things do I love.

Right now I’m on the lookout for… drumroll please… a dresser for kids’ clothes. Dresser, bureau, chest of drawers, what have you. Something tall with drawers to keep the kids’ clothes in. Right now they each have closet space, plus baskets for pajamas, socks, underthings, tights, gloves, scarves, hats, and other assorted necessities.

But I’d like a dresser that would hold all the basket miscellany, plus all the tees and shorts and stretchy pants that don’t really need hanging. For all four kids. And I want to find it reasonably priced, and probably at the consignment store, or maybe from a furniture-maker that uses, you know, real wood (not particle board, not wood glue…). And it would be great if this potential dresser both fit in the space we have, and also kind of in some way coordinated with the rest of the room.

You see how it is that I have not yet found this mystical piece of furniture. I think basically what I want is an attractive and neatly organized black hole (or other interdimensional space) in which to store far more clothing than can reasonably fit in one house. But as long as I believe it’s out there, I can hold onto the dream of one day living in an organized household.

I’m just going to keep looking.

Today the weather was neither rainy and cold, nor cold and rainy, so the kids and I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the park. And now I am falling asleep at the keyboard (because: chasing baby! up and down slides! for a long long while!), but I am not at all sure Abigail and Owen are asleep, an hour after bedtime. I keep hearing suspicious coughing noises. Also much flopping about. Could I have somehow over-exhausted them into wakefulness? Because usually an hour or two of late-afternoon running around means they fall right to sleep. Sigh. As long as I can’t hear them talking, I’m not going to go check. They’ll be asleep soon enough… or I will…

If I leave the plate of cookies across the room instead of bringing them over here by the computer, that basically counts as exercise, right? Because I’m now going to have to walk across the kitchen a dozen times in the next hour? (Yes, I am aware that the distance from here to there is maybe like ten feet. I wasn’t going to factor in the short distance. Shhh.)

As many of you know, Amy Anderson and Sheri Reed have decided to close up shop at mamazine.com. And you know what? I’m sad. I’m sad because I’ve enjoyed reading mamazine for years now. I’m sad because mamazine has been such a lovely, supportive community of writers and mothers and writer-mothers. I’m sad because I wonder what brand-new mamas will read when they’re up at three AM with a colicky baby. (Not that I’d know anything about that!) (Okay, yes. Yes I would.)

I have one final column up at mamazine. (Sniff.) (Sigh.) It’s about how tidy and smooth-running our household is.

Um… no. No it is not. But maybe you can leave me a note telling me I’m not the only one living in a tornado of kid-ness? Or maybe I am the only one—maybe the rest of you are disciplined and have organizational skills. Do tell.

Thank you to Amy and Sheri, for letting me pretend to be cool enough to hang out at mamazine. May you find time for sparkly new creative endeavors. And may they bring you joy.

Okay, the thing I was sorry about? Remember when I made Owen some pajama shorts? And he asked me to make Dane a matching pair? And I said I would? Well… sometimes I have more plans and projects than I have time. Which is to say, it is possible that I bought the fabric right away and then never made time for the sewing. Until now.

Dane thought that making pajama shorts might be the thing I was sorry about. What? Making strange clothing items? In lime green with white polka dots? That I am totally not sorry about.

The fact that at no point did I have him try on the garment for fitting purposes (er, at no point did I even take his measurements!) before sewing it all up? That part I was a little worried about. But it turned out fine! Fine-ish, at least.

I’m wrapping up a valentine’s gift for Dane. Since he reads here, I’m not going to say much about it, except: I think maybe I should attach a note that says, Sorry about this!

I’ll explain later. To you and to him.

Most days, we play peppy music in the background while we work. And by “work” I do mean “check email and read blogs and do other really really important stuff.” Lately it’s been a lot of Swing Around the World, with Music of the Coffee Lands or You Are My Little Bird as our backups, but I’m looking for something new. I mean, I love all of those—they’re all full of energy and make me happy—but I need to change them up a little.

What do you all listen to? I need something kid-safe and not distracting, but not too kid-specific, if you know what I mean. (Dude. Don’t be telling me to buy anything sung by a cartoon character. Seriously.) So what’s the soundtrack of your days?